TOPIC:

This shows the Intombi graveyard at the time. From the Wellcome online collection.

Looking west, the view of Intombi from Umbulwana as it appeared in 1981, before urban expansion had encroached along the Klip River plain to the south of Ladysmith. When I visited in August that year it was a windswept desolate spot, seldom visited.
Many of the graves had recently been vandalised, a new trend that was causing considerable concern at the Natal Provincial Administration Works Department.

The red area shows the approximate location of the camp, bounded by the railway on the southwest side, and with the the cemetery in the small wooded area to the southeast.

The second photograph shows the camp in 1900, again photographed from the slopes of Umbulwana, but from a position further to the south. The cemetery can clearly be seen on the right, midway between the Klip River bank and the tents.

The final two images show the camp as it appeared in 1899/1900 and the same view in 1978.








1900 view from Umbulwana. The neatly laid out cemetery can be seen as a rectangle on the right, midway between the banks of the Klip River and the tented camp.







A view of the camp taken by Ladysmith photographer Henry Kisch during 1899/1900, and as it looked in 1978. Lombard's Kop and Umbulwana can be seen in the distance.


....

Many of the headstones had recently been pushed over and broken (August 1978).



..

Below are three photographs of the cemetery taken shortly after the end of the siege.

The wooden crosses were later replaced with iron grave markers (see photograph at bottom of next post) which, in turn, were cleared during the 1970s.
The typed list of burials posted by David appears to be a record of the names on the iron crosses. It is interesting to note that Row 8 on that list constitutes five rows as originally set out, suggesting that the replacement iron markers may not have been positioned over the actual graves or had been moved by the time the list was compiled. The image at the bottom of the next post appears to show the iron crosses correctly laid out, in which case the more likely scenario is that the markers had indeed been moved by the time the typed list was compiled.

The typed list does not record any of the surviving marble monuments. Could this focus on the less permanent grave markers indicate that the list was part of a condition report or survey, commissioned either because the inscriptions on the iron crosses were becoming illegible or because the markers were about to be cleared?

The final photograph shows a pile of iron crosses that were cleared from British graves in the Ladysmith area. It was taken at the N.P.A. Works Dept. Depot, Ladysmith in 1978, and may well include the crosses from Intombi.

I have included a list of the men whose graves are shown in the first image, starting with the back (westernmost) row, moving forwards. With the exception of the officers in the sixth row, nearly all of these men are listed under Row 8 in the typed database. A few names are missing from the latter list, perhaps because markers were lost or illegible. Outlier Able Seaman DUNN (ninth row from back), is recorded under Row 3 on the typed list. This corresponds with the position of AB Dunn's original wooden cross along the third "trench" grave from the south. On the other hand, AB Albert Walter BENTON's cross is shown at position 4 along the next trench to the north, but is recorded under Row 2 on the typed list. I cannot see how this could be possible unless the crosses had been moved by the time the list was compiled.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL THE SURVIVING MONUMENTS CAN BE SEEN HERE





BACK ROW
4765 Private J. NESBITT, 1st Bn. Liverpool Regiment (21/12/1899)
5016 Corporal H. WHITE, 2nd Bn. King’s Royal Rifle Corps (20/12/1899)
11961 Private J. GREENOW, Royal Army Medical Corps (19/12/1899)
????? Trooper T. CLARKE [T. Chapman], 1st Bn. Manchester Regiment (No record found; 09/11/1899)
Mr A. MITCHELL, attached to Army Service Corps (17/12/1899)
5231 Private F. OFFER, 1st Bn. Gloucestershire Regiment (12/12/1899)
Marble Cross (illegible; Border Mounted Rifles) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble cross extant.
Marble Cross (illegible; Border Mounted Rifles) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble cross extant.
4347 Corporal John WEIR, 18th Hussars (09/12/1899)
490 Trooper [Private] W.P. LAWRENCE, Imperial Light Horse (04/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble replacement extant.
4191 Private G. RAW, 19th Hussars (27/11/1899)
5217 Private J. CLEMENSTON [T. Clemenston], 1st Bn. Liverpool Regiment (20/11/1899 [24/11/1899])
4399 Private G. PARKER, 1st Bn. Leicester Regiment (08/11/1899)

SECOND ROW
4187 Private W. ROBERTSON, 19th Hussars (21/12/1899)
5172 Private W. BANKS [D. Banks], 1st Bn. Liverpool Regiment (20/12/1899)
3550 Sergeant B.M. GRAY, 1st Bn. Gloucestershire Regiment (19/12/1899)
4865 Private H. SILVESTER, 1st Bn. Devonshire Regiment (18/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST.
4560 Private H. ASHLIN [H. Asplin], 5th Dragoon Guards (17/12/1899)
175748 Ordinary Seaman Albert CALDWELL [A. Golwell], H.M.S. Powerful (14/12/1899)
4628 Private L. GOULD, 18th Hussars (09/12/1899)
3844 Lance-Corporal J. BARRETT [3855 Lce-Cpl J. Barrett / Barratt], 1st Bn. Leicester Regiment (05/12/1899)
9501 Lance-Corporal T. SOWDEN [D. Sowden], 2nd Bn. King’s Royal Rifle Corps (29/11/1899)
25178 Sapper E. HERBERT [25118 Sapper H. Herbert], 23rd Company, R.E. (23/11/1899)
939 Private M. AHEARN [M. Aherne / M.H. Herne], 2nd Bn. King’s Royal Rifle Corps (11/11/1899)

THIRD ROW
161843 Able Seaman Benjamin BLUMSON [241 Seaman B. Blumson], H.M.S. Powerful (22/12/1899)
4954 Private C. KIRKWOOD, 1st Bn. Manchester Regiment (19/12/1899)
7492 Private E. STEELE [F. Steele], 1st Bn. King’s Royal Rifle Corps (19/12/1899)
4812 Private J. SUCKLING, 1st Bn. Liverpool Regiment (18/12/1899)
Mr MAHER, Civilian (17/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST.
2028 Private A.D. OWEN, 18th Hussars (16/12/1899)
????SE (illegible)
4180 Lance-Corporal G. COLE, 19th Hussars (09/12/1899)
527 Sergeant H.C. BENSON [J. Benson], Imperial Light Horse (07/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble replacement extant.
4757 Private A.E. ARCHER, 5th Lancers (30/11/1899)
4658 Private P. McGUINNESS, 1st Bn. Liverpool Regiment (24/11/1899)
535 Trooper David Guthrie SMITH, Imperial Light Horse (12/11/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble replacement extant.

FOURTH ROW
4357 Private T. LAWRENCE, 19th Hussars (23/12/1899)
69 Trooper J.G. TAYLOR, Imperial Light Horse (20/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble replacement extant.
1892 Gunner F. WILLIAMS, 53rd Battery, R.F.A. (18/12/1899)
3915 Private G. BARLTROP [3815 Pte G. Barthrop], 19th Hussars (18/12/1899)
168097 Able Seaman Benjamin NEWELL [236 Seaman B. Newell], H.M.S. Powerful (17/12/1899)
3686 Private W. FOY, 19th Hussars (15/12/1899)
187369 Able Seaman Ernest Alfred ARCHER [F. Archer], H.M.S. Powerful (13/12/1899)
4403 Private E. ASHMAN, 19th Hussars (11/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST.
227 Gunner V.S.F. TURNLEY, Natal Naval Volunteers (09/12/1899)
5873 Private C. BARTRAM [F. Barthram], 1st Bn. Liverpool Regiment (25/11/1899 [26/11/1899])
5003 Private B. HILL, Royal Irish Fusiliers (16/11/1899)
4257 Private G. PEARCE, 19th Hussars (15/11/1899 [18/11/1899])

FIFTH ROW
4146 Lance-Corporal Charlie MARKIE, 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade (22/12/1899)
181844 Signalman Ernest Edward DEXTER [4146 S. Corporal L. Dexter], H.M.S. Powerful (20/12/1899)
???? Bombardier Private Jacobus LATEGAN (19/12/1899)
4445 Private C. ROGERS [Rodgers], 19th Hussars (18/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST.
5269 Private T. CALLAGHAN, 1st Bn. Leicestershire Regiment (18/12/1899)
402 Trooper O. STRAUSS, Border Mounted Rifles (17/12/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST. Marble replacement extant.
6509 Private A. MAXWELL [R. Maxwell], 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade (13/12/1899)
3414 Driver D. LUMM, 21st Battery, R.F.A. (11/12/1899)
2562 Lance-Corporal H. MARSHALL, Army Ordnance Corps (09/12/1899)
95751 Gunner J. REGAN [95756 Gnr J. Regin], 21st Battery R.F.A. (05/12/1899)
3980 Private W. TAYLOR, 1st Bn. Devonshire Regiment (18/11/1899) NOT ON TYPED LIST.
13843 Gunner F. COPELAND, 21st Battery R.F.A. (18/11/1899)

SIXTH ROW [seemingly reserved for officers] NOT ON TYPED LIST
Lieutenant Cyril ARKWRIGHT, 5th Lancers (10/03/1900) Marble replacement extant.
MEMORIAL to Reginald W. PEARSON, 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade (22/02/1900) Marble cross extant.
Lieutenant Reginald W. PEARSON, 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade (22/02/1900) Marble cross extant.
Lieutenant Francis Oswald BARKER (02/02/1900) Marble cross extant.
Captain S. MILLS, 2nd Bn. Rifle Brigade (02/02/1900) Marble cross extant.

NINTH ROW [Row 3 on the typed list]
169637 Able Seaman Edward Frost DUNN (13/02/1900)










Finally, a photograph of a pile of iron grave markers, cleared during the 1970s, and photographed at the Natal Provincial Administration Works Department in 1978.


...

I believe this image shows a change in burial policy as the death rate rose. Whereas the original procedure had been to dig individual graves, a point appears to have been reached where a decision was made to excavate long trenches instead. The double markers, with one on each side of the backfill, also suggest that bodies were buried in pairs. The second photograph (originally posted by Brett Hendey ) shows the layout of the later iron grave markers, similarly set out in pairs, confirming that two men were interred in each burial space. The crosses were cleared during the 1970s.

The date of the change in burial practice appears to have been towards the end of December 1899.





..

Below is a map of Ladysmith, first published in 1975, with 1992 revisions shown in purple.

It clearly shows the spread of the town to the south along the west side of the railway line. I suspect Intombi would now feel very different to how I experienced it in 1978, when it was a "windswept desolate spot, seldom visited".

Please excuse the poor resolution, but this was the largest image I was able to load.



,,